March 2008

Name one person you know who doesn’t like wildflowers. Hard to do, isn’t it? That’s because we are naturally attracted to the colors, shapes, fragrances and overall beauty of flowers.

Poems and even entire books have been written about wildflowers. Lady Bird Johnson, the wife of former President Lyndon B. Johnson, wrote, “Where flowers bloom so does hope.” And this year – after a harsh two-year drought, the fires and the turmoil they caused – hope is in the air. Hope for a mild rainy season, with enough water for the plant life to recover — but not so much as to cause landslides in the burn areas. Hope for a warm spring, with lots of wildflowers and the unique insect ensemble that works its pollination magic. Hope for lots of fox pups, bison babies, songbirds and fresh growth in the parched and scorched hills.

Right now, Catalina’s slopes are carpeted with the green of new growth, and the colors of the wildflowers are emerging in patches. As March begins, we can expect to see island poppies, lupines, blue dicks, Indian paintbrush, rattleweed bushes and giant coreopsis. There are also rare, hard-to-find cliff spurges, willow flowers, early cactus flowers and lemonade berries.

Here, explore some of the native and non-native flowers that are beginning to appear in our wonderful Island.

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